The phenomenon of premature harvesting of Chinese medicinal herbs is alarming, with the problem of early picking particularly prominent in mountainous areas

Recently, the author learned during interviews that due to the rising purchase price of the Chinese medicinal herb Forsythia suspensa (weeping forsythia) over consecutive years, many villagers in the remote mountainous areas of Huguan County, Shanxi Province have been rushing up the mountains to pick immature Forsythia suspensa, causing serious waste and destruction of wild medicinal herb resources.

It is understood that starting in late June of this year, before the summer solstice had even arrived, in several remote mountainous townships in Huguan County such as Shipo, Shuzhang, Ewu and Dongjingling, some villagers began going up the mountains to pick Forsythia suspensa, and some traders also came into the villages early to purchase medicinal herbs. The starting price for green Forsythia suspensa reached as high as over 10 yuan per kilogram, double the price of the same period last year. Because the starting price was quite high, many farming families sent all their young and old up the mountains together, carrying dry rations and leaving early and returning late, earning a substantial daily income, but during the rushed picking many yellow-flowered branches were broken off, leaving the hillsides in a mess. In fact, at this time last year, local media had already called for a ban on the phenomenon of "premature harvesting" of wild Chinese medicinal herbs, but driven by profit and compounded by the lack of oversight by relevant departments, the reckless picking and digging of Chinese medicinal herbs has run rampant.

According to experts, the formation and accumulation of the active ingredients in medicinal herbs is influenced not only by genetic factors and environmental conditions, but also by harvesting, processing, drying methods, storage and preparation, among which harvesting is a very important step. Harvesting wild medicinal herbs prematurely through "premature harvesting" makes it very difficult to meet the standards set by the national pharmacopoeia, very difficult to ensure clinical efficacy, and at the same time causes waste of wild medicinal herb resources. It is reported that in some remote mountainous areas of Huguan and Pingshun, "premature harvesting" of Chinese herbal medicines such as Schisandra chinensis (five-flavor berry) and Chinese gallnut has long since begun.

For this reason, the relevant departments should step up publicity for the Regulations on the Protection of Wild Medicinal Herb Resources, so that the whole of society consciously takes action to protect wild medicinal herb resources. At the same time, medicinal herb purchasing departments should strictly control quality, stop purchasing substandard herbs that have been "prematurely harvested," and tackle the problem at its source. The relevant departments should also increase patrol efforts and severely punish in accordance with the law those who pick and destroy hillside trees.